


both is okay

by spideysbi



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Boys Kissing, Fluff, Gay Will Byers, Internalized Homophobia, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Past Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, before season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23621473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideysbi/pseuds/spideysbi
Summary: speaking of secrets, mike had one that even will didn’t know about.he was bisexual
Relationships: Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Kudos: 65





	both is okay

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is old... like- a year and a half old. i found it in my docs and decided to post it. most of my headcanons have changed since i made this but i decided to publish it because i’m still proud of my writing, hope you enjoy!

mike wheeler was a simple kid. he grew up in a simple town with a simple family and surroundings. or so it seemed.

but after the incidents that occurred over the past couple of years… things just weren’t the same anymore. sure, he could still have fun times with friends and everything, but the overwhelming anxiety that the mind flayer would return always took over his thoughts. he feared that maybe, just maybe, it would come back. that it would bring everyone back to square one. the thought made him shiver every time, especially because the previous two times heavily affected will.

mike cared about will more than anyone he had ever met. he _was_ his best friend since kindergarten after all. and will was the one person mike believed truly understood him. will would always come to mike for anything. it made mike feel like he was trusted. they bonded over everything and told each other secrets no one else had never and would never know. 

speaking of secrets, mike had one that even will didn’t know about.

he was bisexual.

it was a term he heard going around the school. people would say things like “ _it makes no sense, it’s weird enough liking the same gender, but_ _both?!_ ” mike believed “liking both genders” applied to him. the idea of being with girls felt right, and he liked el for a while. but… on the other hand, boys came into the picture. mike would occasionally catch himself staring at will in class, or thinking about him at night, imagining that they kissed or were _together._ the thought made his skin crawl. everyone around him (specifically troy and his friends) definitely gave off the idea that being attracted to the same gender wasn’t right and that it wasn’t acceptable. it made mike feel disgusting. like a monster.

the real secret though is _how_ he realized he was bi. it all started coming together shortly after the snow ball. he started realizing that he couldn’t see himself in a relationship with el anymore. he didn’t feel the connection he thought he did. and he believed el was nowhere near ready for a relationship, he wasn’t even sure if she knew what being with someone was. it took him a bit of explanation for her to understand what this meant for them, but she did end up accepting it. they remained friends, and luckily, el wasn’t angry. although for a while things were a bit awkward between them, and few words were spoken when they hung out. it remained that way. they talked about a few things here and there, but they weren’t as close as before. not at all.

however, mike started feeling a different connection. a stronger, and definitely not platonic one. with will. will, a boy, a male, his best friend, and someone that mike was almost certain didn’t share the same feelings. if he was being honest, he believed will was too good for him. oh, and of course the underlying fact that he believed will would be disgusted at the idea that mike was attracted to boys. 

god, mike was in trouble.

  
  


________

“are you kidding me? that’s not fair dude!” dustin yelled, slamming his d&d figurine on the table, causing it to shake a bit, empty soda cans and bottles falling over.

“screw you guys, i’m getting more pizza.” lucas said, grabbing the other empty pizza box and taking it upstairs to throw out, and dustin joined along, jokingly glaring at mike and will.

for some reason, everytime mike and will were alone, mike got this… feeling. this feeling that: “ _maybe, he’ll confess his undying love for me right now, and we’ll kiss and it’ll be perfect_ ”.

but obviously, that’s not what happened. in fact, nothing happened. it was a somewhat awkward, yet comfortable? silence. mike saw will staring at him in the corner of his eye a few times, and he looked like he was about to say something, but would shake his head and look away, and continue to fidget with his hands or look anywhere other than where mike was.

“guys! wanna go meet up with max and el at the arcade? i managed to snag some money from nancy.” dustin exclaimed, holding seemingly old dollar bills and quarters that looked like they hadn’t been touched in over a decade. 

“haha, sure. but don’t come for me when nancy beats the shit out of you.” mike joked. dustin and lucas looked at each other trying to stifle their laughter, before gesturing for mike and will to come upstairs. mike glanced at will, and he looked like he had something on his mind. he was more quiet than usual.

“is everything alright?” mike asked, putting his hand on will’s shoulder. he nodded, half smiling at mike, forest green eyes looking up at him. 

“alright, but if you ever need to talk or you get any flashbacks, let me know, okay?” mike reassured. the last thing he wanted was for will to be alone and have to go through the “now memories” as will used to call them, although now they were just memories of the past. of the traumatic things he went through. mike wanted him to be safe. that’s all that mattered to him.

the arcade was loud, and it seemed like everyone in hawkins was there at once. mike stood by will and half watched his friends bicker over which game they were gonna play with their limited amount of money. but his main focus was will. all he could think about was telling him everything. telling him that he was and had been in love with him for a long time.

max beat dustin at dig dug, per usual. and el was playing against lucas in pac-man, which mike thought was an odd game choice to play against people with, but he didn’t question anything. mike could tell el was really enjoying herself, and that made him smile. after being treated so horribly in hawkins lab as a child, and going through so much, from being stuck in the upside down to closing the gate, it was nice to see her at peace, truly enjoying her time with other people. 

mike got bored of the games eventually, so he told everyone he was just gonna sit outside and get some fresh air for a bit. they all nodded, half paying attention. he walked outside and felt the cool night air on his face. the boy sat on a bench and watched the stars, glistening in all shapes and sizes. and the sight of cars driving by, red and white streaks of light standing out in the darkness. the newly built arcade gave off a welcoming vibe, which is the main reason everyone from hawkins high school went there every friday. he eventually started daydreaming. about will, of course. he kept imagining all these scenarios. the scenario that will would walk out and ask to talk and then confess. he daydreamed for a while, smiling at the idea of being with will. but then eventually that smile faded, because he remembered. homosexuality wasn’t right. boys liking boys wasn’t right. he shook his head. deep down he didn’t truly believe that. but the thought was engraved into his mind.

“mike! aren’t you freezing out here?” will said, walking up to mike with a grin plastered on his face. mike chuckled, admiring the fact that will was _here,_ and that mike had the fortune of being able to be around _him._

“eh, i don’t really care about the cold. plus, you’re one to talk considering you’re wearing a t-shirt and jeans.” he retorted jokingly. will rolled his eyes, and then sat next to mike on the bench. quite close to him, and their sides were touching. mike, despite it probably not meaning anything, couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he was so close to him. he so desperately wanted to tell will everything he felt. he wanted will to know how much he loved him and he wanted will to say he felt the same. he wanted will to kiss him and he wanted will to be his.

but of course, that didn’t happen. because he didn’t even know if will liked boys. people did always joke around and bully will by saying that he was a “homo” or a “gay fairy” or other awful and extremely rude names that mike could tell made will very upset. but he wasn’t sure if will was actually gay. he never really showed interest in anyone. mike was at a loss. he wasn’t sure if it would even be worth it to tell will. even if somehow he found out if will was gay. but then he remembered something lucas had told him a while back.

it was when mike was mad at nancy over… something. that he honestly couldn’t remember, and he was ranting about it to lucas while they were studying together. and he said “life’s really short, and you can’t spend it wasting your time mad at people or worrying about simple things, yknow?” and even though he said it nonchalantly, the words “life’s really short” struck him. and at that moment, deciding this _was_ worth it, mike spoke.

“can i tell you something?” he breathed, barely going above a whisper and shattering the silence that filled the air.

will looked up, his eyes shining, white specs indicating the reflection from the stars. he looked hopeful, and mike couldn’t pinpoint why. but he hoped it was a good thing because this was going to be the scariest confession of his life.

“of course! what is it?” he asked, putting his hand on mike’s as a way of saying “ _you can tell me anything_.”

mike was trying not to cry. hot, salty tears threatened to spill, and he could feel some sort of nauseousness in his stomach. he had never told anyone that he was bi, and he was gonna tell will he was in love with him too. it was terrifying. every scenario of will leaving, or telling mike he wanted nothing to do with him, wouldn’t stop playing in his head like a broken record.

“uhm.. if i tell you this, i understand if you h-hate me or think i’m weird or don’t wanna talk to me, but uh- i’m-“

will cut him off. “mike, i’d _never_ hate you. i promise.” will told him, with a reassuring smile on his face that gave mike butterflies. mike nodded, and took a deep breath.

“i’m bisexual. i like boys and girls” he said it like he was confessing to a crime. will just stared at him. _oh god. he hates you now doesn’t he. he is disgusted by you._

“i’m gay.” will muttered, looking into mike’s eyes with a look of worry and curiosity in them. mike wasn’t sure what to say, but he ended up pulling will into a hug that seemed to last for minutes. he could feel will’s warmth against him and mike’s heart was pounding. he hoped will wasn’t able to hear it, because to mike the volume of it seemed deafening. when they pulled apart, mike thought for a second and then decided he was going to tell will how he felt about him. this was his chance.

_this is it._ he thought. mike was going to confess. he was gonna do it. he was gonna spill out every thought and feeling he had an-

“will, i’m in love with you.”

it just came out. mike had prepared in his head an entire speech, explaining everything that he loved about will and why he loved him, but instead, those few words came out. will had a look of shock on his face, and mike could see a few tears forming. 

mike didn’t know how or when it happened, but he went from seeing will staring at him to the distance between them being closed, and will’s soft lips being pressed against his. will wrapped his arms around mike’s neck and mike had his hands in will’s hair, embracing the kiss and never wanting to let it go. mike could tell this was will’s first kiss and he wasn’t very experienced, which made him laugh softly. he didn’t mind. he didn’t mind anything will did. his body felt hot and it felt like a swarm of butterflies were in his stomach, setting it on fire, despite the fact that it was december and the freezing cold winter surrounded them.

mike didn’t care if he was at a public arcade or if anyone was watching. he was here, kissing the one boy he had been love with for over a year. mike had never felt so… happy? thrilled? he couldn’t think of any words in that moment to describe the amount of joy and relief he was feeling. 

they eventually pulled apart. cheeks red and huge smiles spread across their face. mike couldn’t believe it. he didn’t know what to say but he didn’t need to. he just wanted to enjoy this moment. cherish it. 

“wanna walk home with me?” mike asked. he realized if he wanted to talk to will about everything and establish what _they_ were, he would rather be in a private place than an arcade. he didn’t want to be in a situation where they would constantly be thinking, “ _so what are we?_ ”

they said bye to the rest of their friends and walked home, a comfortable silence filling the air. when they arrived at mike’s, he took will to his room.

______

“so, about what happened.” mike said, smiling at will, his cheeks turning red again. will looked up and chuckled, but he chuckled with the happiest, most joyful smile he had ever seen from him. he felt like his heart was going to explode right then and there. he walked across the room and sat closer to will on his bed. he didn’t know what to say, mike had never done things like this. with el, it just… happened. they were kids and didn’t know anything about relationships, but this was something where someone was going to have to talk.

“you really do love _me_ ?” mike heard will mumble, snapping him out of his thoughts. will said it in a way that it sounded like he couldn’t believe mike would love him, or _anyone_ for that matter. his eyes were glued to the floor like it was a magnet. it made mike want to cry, because how could anyone not love will? he squeezed his hand and looked him in the eyes.

“will. of course i love you. you are… the most wonderful person i’ve ever met. i can’t express how much you’ve changed my life. i care about you so much, and after everything that happened in ‘83 and ‘84, i’m so beyond happy that you’re here with me right now. i- i’m really bad at words, but i don’t know how else to explain it besides simply saying i love you.” mike exhaled. he didn’t realize he said all of that in one go. he could feel the butterflies and blush on his cheeks again, and he couldn’t stop a huge smile from forming on his face. but that smile disappeared because will was silent, which worried mike because he hoped he hadn’t said anything that would upset him.

“will i- i’m sorry if i said something-“ he was cut off by will pulling him into a hug. he was holding onto mike so tightly, as if he was the only thing keeping will alive. mike kissed the top of his head. he pulled apart from will after a bit, looking at him and just admiring him. and everything about him. from his copper-colored hair to his sparkling eyes to his lips that he wanted to kiss again more than ever, and the red that tinted his cheeks deeper and deeper as the conversation went on. mike couldn’t and wouldn’t even point out a single flaw. he took both of will’s hands in his. and will surprisingly spoke this time. 

“i don’t know how i got so lucky. how did i get so lucky? to know the most amazing person on the planet. i can’t even put into words how happy you make me, mike. for so long i was scared to tell you that i felt this way because i was worried i would be judged. or that you would hate me. i never thought in a million years that you would feel the same but… you do! it- it feels so good to say that. to know that you, someone as wonderful and beautiful on the inside and out as _you,_ loves me.” he was staring at mike intently, the same way he did when he said “ _i’d never hate you.”_ to show that he meant what he said with all of his heart. mike didn’t even notice that now he was the one crying. he hugged will again, and they didn’t let go for a while. they eventually fell asleep, forgetting about every negative thought or thing that could ruin this moment. because mike wanted it to last forever.


End file.
